opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous for saying, "Take the extra minute to do it right." I always try to live by the "extra minute" rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an "if only" moment. For example, I would move a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter. I would put padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

I don't only avoid those "if only" moments when it comes to safety. It's equally important to avoid "if only" in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say "I love you" or "I forgive you." When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn't be here. But then I realized he's 84 years old and that I shouldn't give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

I know there will still be occasions when I have to say "if only", but my life I definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two to make a personal connection, I know I'm doing the right thing. I'm buying myself peace of mind.

24.Which of the following is an example of the "extra minute" rule？

A. Start the car the instant everyone is seated.

B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.

C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.

D. Move an object out of the way before it trips（绊倒）someone.

25.Why did the author decide to go to her office on Good Friday finally？

A. To attend the company's holiday celebration.

B. To keep her appointment with the eye doctor.

C. To meet her father who was already an old man.

D. To finish her work before the deadline approached.

26.What does the underlined word "foregone" in Paragraph 3 probably mean？

A. wasted B. avoided C. lacked D. abandoned

27.What is the best title for the passage？

A. The Most Useful Rule B. The Two Saddest Words

C. The Personal Relationship D. The Peace of Mind

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　C

Across Europe, where visitors can outnumber residents in the summer months, the complaints have started. Last week, in Barcelona, an open-top bus was spray-painted across its windscreen with the words "Tourism Kills Neighborhoods". The message is clear: such cities are under pressure. In tourists and residents' battle for shared spaces, local authorities are uncomfortably in the middle. The tourism is one of the largest employers in the world, with one new job created for every 30 new visitors to a destination---but at what cost to locals' quality of life?

More people are travelling than ever before, and lower barriers to entry and falling